"Water..."
Grace Winslow's throat was terribly sore. It hurt just to speak.
Hearing her, Caleb Forrest quickly went to pour her a glass of water.
After drinking a full glass of water, Grace Winslow's throat finally felt a little better.
She coughed a couple of times, her face still pale.
"You should go home. Just have my mom come and take care of me. You're needed at home, and your mother can't be left alone." Grace Winslow's voice was hoarse, her rejection of Caleb Forrest palpable.
Unfortunately, Caleb Forrest didn't notice.
Hearing this, he thought she had forgiven him. His face instantly lit up with joy. "Grace, I knew you were the best and the kindest."
"Don't worry, I'll stay here with you today. I asked a neighbor to help out at home, so everything will be fine. I'll have your mom come over tomorrow, and then I'll leave."
As he spoke, Caleb Forrest reached out to pull Grace Winslow into his arms.
A wave of nausea washed over Grace Winslow, her stomach churning violently.
The sight of Caleb Forrest just made her feel disgusted.
The thought of Caleb Forrest and Ivy White in her past life, getting intimate in their marital bedroom and doing who-knows-what other disgusting, filthy things, made her want to vomit.
"GACK..."
The moment Caleb Forrest touched her, Grace Winslow started to dry heave.
Caleb Forrest panicked and ran out to get a doctor.
The doctor came and examined her.
Her fever had broken, but her throat was severely inflamed. Moreover, the pneumonia wouldn't clear up so easily, so a seven-day hospital stay was unavoidable.
Grace Winslow remained expressionless the entire time. Only after the doctor left did she speak, her voice raspy. "You should go home. A stranger will never be as attentive as her own son. Your mother has trouble recognizing people; I'm worried something might happen."
"But you..." Caleb Forrest hesitated.
"There's no point in you staying here. The hospital has doctors and nurses, and they'll take better care of me than you can."
Caleb Forrest sighed. "Grace, are you still mad at me? There's really nothing between Ivy White and me. She's my army buddy's wife. I told you, he was my squad leader back when I was a soldier. He took great care of me, even took a knife for me."
"Mm," Grace Winslow replied faintly.
Seeing that Grace Winslow had no intention of engaging with him, Caleb knew that saying anything more would be useless. He stood up. "Alright, I'll head back to take care of Mom. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
With that, he left, glancing back every few steps.
Grace Winslow never once looked his way.
Only after Caleb Forrest had gone did she let out a cold snort.
'If I'm not mistaken, Ivy White hasn't left at all. She's still at our house right now.'
'The moment Caleb gets home and sees her, he'll throw all his principles and boundaries out the window.'
'He'll let her stay without a second thought.'
'And before long, he'll even give Ivy White the job I worked so hard to get.'
Grace Winslow knew all too well what had happened in her past life; it was a painfully familiar script.
With a single sentence—that he didn't want her to be too tired—Caleb Forrest had extinguished her desire to find a job, convincing her to resign herself to being a worn-out housewife for the rest of her life.
'But this time, it won't be so easy for Ivy White to just move in and use me as a stepping stone.'
Grace Winslow struggled out of bed. When her feet touched the floor, they felt unsteady, as if she were walking on cotton.
Her head was still spinning, but she gritted her teeth and made her way to the door of her room.
She had to get out. She was going to give Ivy White a special "gift."
'I just wonder if Caleb Forrest and Ivy White will be able to handle a gift this big.'
Grace Winslow swayed as she walked, completely unaware of a pair of eyes locked onto her from behind.
"Company Commander, what are you looking at?"